State budget helps city schools fill budget hole

The General Assembly passed the state’s $43-billion budget Tuesday, with a little less than two weeks to go before the legislature’s 90-day session ends.

The final budget includes nearly $30 million to help Baltimore City Public Schools fill its own budget hole.

Most of that money replaces funds Baltimore City Public Schools lost as a result of declining enrollment. Lawmakers made up the difference in Baltimore and other jurisdictions with falling enrollment partially by counting the number of students in publicly funded full-day pre-kindergarten programs.

Sen. Edward Kasemeyer, who chairs that body’s Budget and Taxation Committee, said additional legislation helps cover the city schools’ transportation costs by allowing students to use Maryland Transit Administration vehicles for free.

“And all put together, it gives you the amount of money the city lost this year,” he said.

He said the total amount comes close to $30 million.

Legislators were prepared to come up with the money for the schools, but the matter became less controversial Monday when Gov. Larry Hogan issued a supplemental budget appropriation for the amount.

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Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh announced Friday a joint plan with the state to help fill the city school system’s budget gap with $180 million over three years. The plan needs to be approved by the full legislature and Gov. Larry Hogan.

Some parents, teachers, students and administrators in Baltimore City Schools spent the week trying to convince state and local lawmakers to plug the schools’ $130 million dollar budget gap.

The search for money to “fix the gap” started in Annapolis on Monday where Mayor Catherine Pugh staged a press conference. “We have not heard yet what the governor's commitment is going to be,” she said, calling for the state to pitch in more funds. “And he knows how important our school system is and how important our children are.”

With Baltimore city schools facing a $130 million shortfall-- roughly 10 percent of the annual budget—schools CEO Sonja Santelises has warned of painful cuts, including teacher layoffs.

Some of the specifics are beginning to take shape as school principals received their budgets last week.

Job Grotsky, the principal at Mount Royal Elementary in Bolton Hill says next year’s budget is significantly smaller than in the past. He’s probably going to lay off nine people, some of them teachers.

“As a result we basically have to build the school from the ground up,” he said.